Elevating bucket



V; D. STEEDSMAN ET AL Nov. 6, 1923.

ELEVATING BUCKET Filed Sept. 26. 1922 Wm We 2. Ema-3mm Patented Nov. 6, I923.

earse UNHTEE STATES PATENT @FFEQE.

VICTOR D. STEEDSMAN AND EMIL H. INTLEHOUSE, OF DE LAMERE, NORTH DAKOTA.

ELEVATING- BUCKET.

Application filed September 26, 1922. SerialNo. 590,677.

I MAN and EMIL H. INTLEHOUSE, citizens of the United States of America, residing at De Lamere, in the county of Sargent and State of North Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Elevating Buckets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in buckets, and it relates more especially to that class of buckets which are in common use for the purpose of elevating grain in storage houses.

Under the present methods of practice in the storing of grain the railroad cars filled therewith are shipped by the farmer to the point or points where the grain elevator is located and the grain is drawn up from the floor of the car, or of the elevator, to the bins located higher up, by means of traveling buckets. These buckets may be madeof any suitable. material which will stand the wear and tear of constant usage and generally and preferably are made of sheet metal so as to reduce the weight as much as possible. They are attached at equi-distant points upon an endless chain travelling over pulleys located at each end, such a chain for instance as that shown in the drawings attached hereto.

Buckets of this material have been found to work well in practice and give satisfactory service save in one respect, that is to say, their loss of shape due to the pounding or knocking of the chain against the rear of the bucket which sooner or later distorts the back of the bucket or crushes it in and damages it to such extent that it must be cast aside for a new one.

' One of the objects of our invention, therefore, is to overcome this defect, not by making a new and heavier bucket which would prove unsatisfactory because it would re quire considerably more power to operate it, but by providing a protective guard or brace of sheet metal which adds little to the weight and yet at the same time has been found in use to fully overcome the present existing difiiculty and prevent the battering and damaging of the bucket by the chain.

Another object of our invention is to make the protective guard or brace for the purpose intended without adding appreciably to the cost of the bucket, and this I accomplish by stamping such guard out. of

a single piece of sheet metal so that its manufacture is economically facilitated both as regards the production of the guard and its assembly upon the bucket.

With these and other ob'ects in View which may be incident to our improvements, the invention'consists in the parts and combinations to be hereinafter set forth and claimed, with the understanding that the several necessary elements comprising our invention, may be varied in construct-ion, proportions and arrangement, without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

In order to make our invention more clearly understood, we have shown in the accompanying drawings means for carrying the same into practical eflect without limiting the improvements in their useful applications to the particular constructions, which for the purpose of explanation, have been made the subject of illustration.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an endless chain showing a grain bucket with our improved guard attached;

Fig. 2 is a rear view of the guard attached to the bucket;

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of the buaket with the front partly broken away; an

F ig. 4 is a detail view of our improved guard.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in the drawings by the same reference characters.

The numeral 1 represents a bucket such as is commonly used for the purpose of elevating grain from the lower to the upper por tion of an elevator. It is made of sheet metal, the front 2 and the back 3 thereof being stamped out of a single piece of sheet steel preferably having its edges 4 and 5 turned at right angles by the same operation of stamping, so that the end plates 6 may be laid against them.

The numeral 7 indicates a metallic strengthening band provided with apertures 8 located around the upper portion of the back, front and ends. The body of the bucket and the ends are firmly secured to the strengthening band by means of rivets such as 9. The band 7 is so set in place in front that the front edge of the bucket extends slightly below the top of the band and the.

rear edge of the bucket, as clearly seen in Fig. 2, is turned over the upper edge of the strengthening band7.

The chain to which the bucketsv are fas: tened consists of a series of links 11 of the contour shown in Fig. 2 and the buckets are equi-distantly spaced upon the chain; the link 12-, however, while similar to the links 11, isprovided on each side with an integral flange 13 having apertures for the reception of bolts 14 which extend also through the strengthening band 7, and the back of the bucket 5,, and are secured inside by nuts 15. It will not be necessary to further describe the links as they form no part of my invention.

It is to be observed that the links of the chainare of a heavier build than the bucket, being generally of cast iron or. steel, and the chain being frequently of great length, there is more or less slack and wobblingof the chain while in use. By reason of this the links are constantly banging against the rear of the bucket which, being of thin sheet metal, sooner or later becomes pressed in towards the center and damaged; sometimes holes are worn through I, the rear of the bu ket- In order to avoid the difliculties enumerated, we make a protective guard or brace of sheet metal consisting of a base 17 havingapertures 18, and from the base extend two upright members 20 each having an aperture 21.

The different members of the brace are preferably made integral therewith and the entire, brace is intended to be stamped out of a single piece of sheet metal, though it can of course, if desired, be made of heavier metal and the several parts united by welding. The latter method, however, has been found to add rather more weight to the bucket than isd'esirable and thelstamping of the brace out of a single pieceof sheet metal is the preferred form. I The brace is secured to the rear of each bucket by bolts extending through the aper= tures 18 and 21,,the bolts l t used for securing the chain links 12 to the upper part of therear portion of thebucket being passed first h ugh h up h e er-2 he b a e. a sh n ea n given a thorough try-out upon a number of grain buckets of; the character shown and described, for a period of timesuch as would ordinarily inflict great damage upon the buckets, with the result that no apprec able wear appeared upon the brace and with the avoidance of all injury to the bucket.

While we have shown and described the preferred embodiment of our invention, we

wish it to be understood that we do not confine ourselves to the precise details of construction hereinset forth, by wayof illustratlon, as it is apparent that many changes those skilled in the art, without departing ing the scope of the appended claims. v WVe claim as our invention:

1 A protective, guard for grain elevator buckets comprising a base adapted to be se-.

and variations may be made therein, by

from the spirit of the invention, or exceed-f cured to the lower rear part of thebucket, V

integral. vertical arms extending from the base adapted to be secured to the upper rear part of the same, and means whereby the guard and bucket are firmly. secured tobucket comprising a base adapted to be at-' taehed to the lower rear part of the bucket, and integral vertical arms to be attached to the upper rear part thereof.

3. In abucket of the character described, the combination with the body thereof, and a strengthening band around the upper edge of the body, of a protective guard for the bucket comprising a base adapted to be secured to the lower rear part of the bucket, vertical arms extending from the base adapted to be secured to the upper rear'part of the bucket, and means whereby the bucket and the guard may be firmly secured together.

4. In a bucket 'ofthe character described, 5

the combination with the body thereof, an endless chain and means for connecting the bucket therewith, of a protective guard for the bucket comprising a base adapted to be secured to the lower rear part of the bucket,

vertical arms adapted to be securedto the upper rear partof the same, and'means whereby the guard may be firmly secured. to the bucket'and to'the endless chain.

In testimony whereofwe aflix our signatures.

VICTOR D. STEEDSMAN. EMIL n. INVTLEHOUSE, 

